King’s Restaurant introduces Lou Lou’s Oyster Bar

Angie Hargitt saw something missing from Kinston’s restaurant scene — and her new Lou Lou’s Oyster Bar is helping to fill the void.

Hargitt, the wife of King’s Restaurant owner Joe Hargitt, noted there was nowhere in Kinston to get good oysters. She suggested to her husband it would be a nice addition to his U.S. 70 restaurant — and he concurred.

King’s Restaurant customers agree, too, as the bar has been doing outstanding business since it opened three weeks ago.

“We haven’t done any advertising other than word of mouth and Facebook, but it’s been doing great,” she said. “

The name of the bar comes from her nickname — “people call me Angie Lou,” she said with a laugh. It offers what Hargitt said is the second-best beer selection in Lenoir County.

King’s Restaurant once had an oyster bar until Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

“When Katrina hit, the price of oysters almost tripled in only a couple of days,” Joe Hargitt said. “It just wasn’t profitable for us to do it any longer.”

Lou Lou’s Oyster Bar is open 6-10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, but will start to open on Sundays as it gets colder, Hargitt said. She added that on Tuesday nights, the bar is going to offer all-you-can-eat oysters for $29.99.

There is a big-screen HD television at the bar and customers can watch sports or anything they want on it while enjoying their oysters and beer.

“It’s still kind of quiet over here, but we’re going to get a jukebox soon,” she added. “We promise great customer service with great smiles.”

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A Kinston woman who’s an experienced portrait photographer is teaming with one of the city’s oldest and most successful businesses to make portraiture easy and convenient.

Tiffany Jones will launch her portrait business inside H. Stadiem, the venerable clothing store, with a grand opening Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. The opening will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, special photos deal, free East Coast Wings coupons for anyone who schedules an appointment and an appearance by the Chick-fil-A cow.

“I started out doing photography as just a hobby. I love doing photos of my six kids,” Jones said. “As I began posting photos on Facebook, more and more people liked them and said I should do more. One thing led to another.”

Jones worked as a Walmart portrait photographer for about four years and went out “on my own” for the past year. The partnership between her and H. Stadiem, a suggestion of Allen Stadiem’s, was too good an opportunity to pass up, she said.

“I felt it was such a privilege to be asked to join a business that has been in business for 109 years,” she said. “I feel that I’m going to be in a great location and will be working with a very successful business.”

For the photographer, launching a new business downtown is an expression of confidence in the city where she lives.

“I feel that Kinston needs something like this,” she said. “Kinston cannot grow if businesses run to other cities.”

H. Stadiem is at 124 N. Queen St. Jones’ studio hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday.

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Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.